NYPD: Father arrested after 3-year-old found dead inside city-run shelter in Queens
NEW YORK -- Police have made an arrest in the killing of a 3-year-old who was found unconscious at a Queens shelter on Sunday night.
As CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported Wednesday, 26-year-old Shaquan Butler is facing charges of murder and manslaughter.
The Crime Scene Unit showed up to the 200-plus-room Pan Am shelter on Queens Boulevard. Police said the little boy was found in one of the rooms and later died at the hospital.
Sources said his mother called 911 and told doctors that the child choked on a chicken nugget and passed out.
But sources said medical evidence disputes that, and the medical examiner determined the child had multiple bruises, both fresh and old, indicating prolonged child abuse.
In explaining the fresh bruises, the family claimed the child ran into a wall in the kitchen.
"What could he have done, really, to get hurt so bad? It's just sad, it's sad," Elmhurst resident Michelle Washington said.
"I was doing a lot of hoping that it wasn't something to this affect," resident Santo Rodriguez added.
Sources said there were no prior calls to put the family on the NYPD's radar.
Sources say back in September, the children were removed from the home by the Administration for Children's Services -- or ACS -- but were returned after the mother took a mandated parenting class. It's not clear what prompted that.
"On a regular basis, the caseworker is supposed to go in and inspect the rooms, make sure they're clean and tidy and everything else, and see where's the child," said Bob Mascali, a former deputy Department of Homeless Services commissioner.
It's part of why Queens Councilman Bob Holden has called for more oversight, including annual audits of organizations the city pays to manage shelters.
"The providers have to keep track of this, but we get reports out of that shelter. There's drug use. There's illegal activity going on there to the point where it spills over into the neighborhood," Holden said.
Daytop Samaritan Village, which manages the site, referred CBS2 to the Department of Social Services. A spokesperson said, in part, "We offer our deepest condolences to all who have been impacted and stand ready to provide them with any support we can during this incredibly difficult time."
ACS said it is investigating the case with the NYPD. Sources said two other children were removed from the home as a precaution.
Sources said the suspect has 28 prior arrests, including larceny and assault, but his history does not involve violence against children, Rozner reported.
So far, the mother is not facing any charges.
